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England named its 23-man roster for the FIFA World Cup on Monday, and as expected, it sports a lot of young names and few surprises.

Star striker Wayne Rooney will be England's main man in Brazil. The Manchester United forward is coming off a solid season in the English Premier League and scored seven goals in his six starts during World Cup qualifying. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard will captain the side once again.

Chelsea’s Ashley Cole is the biggest name left off the roster. Cole has made 107 appearances for England, including two World Cups (2010, 2006).

Cole retired from international soccer over the weekend, when manager Roy Hodgson told him he would be named to the seven-man standby list and not the 23-man roster.

Toronto FC’s Jermain Defoe was named to the standby list. Defoe was signed by TFC in the off-season and despite battling injury has scored three goals in his first four appearances for the club.

What it means

There were no real shocks for the English media to pore over on this list. Lower expectations for England in 2014 mean that Hodgson can give some budding talent valuable playing time on the international stage, which will serve this group well in future tournaments.

It also means that we don’t really know what to expect from England in Brazil. The Three Lions are in one of the most difficult groups in the tournament, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see them crash out at the first hurdle. But, without the burden of expectation on their shoulders, this squad could find a way to surprise.

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